Superman (casting, rumors, pix till release)

[Captaindemotion]

Kinda off topic, but it may as well go here as anywhere (well, the Dark Knight Rises one too, I suppose). Here's one for the 'pinch of salt' department, but it's being suggested that the Superman v Batman movie might be back on. Yeah right. Go on. Read the link. You know you want to.

http://www.moviehole.net/201144072-b...-movie-back-on

But if you don't want to, then the gist of it is

In a classic case of covering your ass, what we’re hearing is two separate incarnations are being tooled. One version where the World’s Greatest Detective is firmly established and helps mentor an up-and-coming, fresh-faced Supes and vice versa. Essentially, they’re hoping they can woo Christian Bale back into the cape-and-cowl for a fourth time and in case the Oscar-winner tells them, “No thanks, I’m done!”, they’ll go for a new actor altogether. Both versions would feature Henry Cavill’s Last Son of Krypton.

[JacksonArcher]

I don't see a Batman vs. Superman movie happening... at least not anytime soon. You can also rest assure that Christian Bale won't do the movie, either, unless Christopher Nolan directs. Which won't happen.

The most feasible and realistic outcome after The Dark Knight Rises is that Warner Bros. reboots the Batman franchise as early as 2015. Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas could produce the reboot, which has been rumored, but their roles would likely be in an advisory capacity, similar to their roles on Man of Steel. Depending on the outcome of Man of Steel in 2013, I can see WB either green-lighting a sequel or just letting the franchise remain dormant. The future of the Superman franchise, as well as the future of DC Comics superheroes on the big screen in general, hinders on the success or failure of Man of Steel. Especially after Green Lantern tanked. That film has a lot more pressure now than it ever did (which is a lot, especially with people wondering if Superman can work as a contemporary character in the wake of the underpeformance of Superman Returns).

I just don't see WB moving forward with a separate Batman vs. Superman movie, at least not in the immediate future. If Man of Steel is a success, then you can rest assure WB will want sequels. I'm sure they'll want to continue the Batman franchise for as long as possible. It's also totally inconceivable to think Christian Bale would want to participate. I can maybe see a team-up movie after the Batman franchise has been rebooted, with Henry Cavill's Superman. Maybe.

[JarodRussell]

Misfit Toy wrote:

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Not in this movie, and not when the character was conceived. He was a voice on the radio. Was he black? Was he white? Was he hispanic? Asian?

From a certain point of view, the comics made the 'politically correct' decision of making the character white when they brought him in from the radio show. According to the politics of the time, of course. Things change.

But Perry White is definately a man?

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Doesn't have to be, no. At a certain point of divergence, though, the connection to the original character would be maintained by name alone, for the nostalgia of it. There would be nothing wrong with that.

"Peri White?"

Perry White is a character who serves a function in the Superman mythos: he's Clark's boss, he's a newspaper editor. At various times and in different media he's been portrayed as more grouchy or less so, as eccentric or staid, and generally in a somewhat comic vein. He is a hardworking person of integrity. He is usually a generation older than his staff. Those are the parameters of the character that define his traditional function in the stories, and they're fairly broad.

[Admiral James Kirk]

I almost wish Fishburne was playing Franklin Stern so this whole Perry Black thing can be skipped altogether.

[Misfit Toy]

Warped9 wrote:

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This is disingenuous. When the character was created there was no question he would be white because at the time it was flat out impossible that a black man would be credibly accepted as the Chief Editor of a major newspaper. The alternative just never entered the creators' minds. There was nothing politically correct about it.

Sure there was - from a certain point of view. My point is that Perry White was a disembodied voice who belonged to no racial group. He did not originate in the comics, so for Hillbilly to use the comics as gospel in deciding the character's skin color, is silly.

[Broccoli]

JacksonArcher wrote:

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I don't see a Batman vs. Superman movie happening...

I can see it happening. In fact, I'll write it right now:

BATMAN Vs. SUPERMAN
by Broccoli

FADE IN:

SUPERMAN is hovering a few feet off the ground. His attitude is nonchalant.

BATMAN jumps into the frame, cape billowing in the wind!

BATMAN: (gargling) Superman, I challan-

Superman punches Batman into the ground. His skull explodes.

SUPERMAN: So much for "time to prepare."

Superman shrugs and flies off.

FADE OUT.

LE FIN.

[Warped9]

Misfit Toy wrote:

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Sure there was - from a certain point of view. My point is that Perry White was a disembodied voice who belonged to no racial group. He did not originate in the comics, so for Hillbilly to use the comics as gospel in deciding the character's skin color, is silly.

The only "certain point of view" is yours. He may have been a disembodied voice on the radio, but there's no question the creators envisioned a white male as Chief Editor of a major city newspaper. If anyone in the 1940s thought of depicting a black man on the radio they likely would have used some vocal stereotype to clearly get the idea across.

It may be regrettable, but it's a simple fact that certain character types were not going to be envisioned as anything but white in those long ago days. The same applies to translating the character to comics in the 1940s and '50s---it would not have occurred to anyone then for Perry to be anything other than a white male.

[Misfit Toy]

Warped9 wrote:

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It may be regrettable, but it's a simple fact that certain character types were not going to be envisioned as anything but white in those long ago days. The same applies to translating the character to comics in the 1940s and '50s---it would not have occurred to anyone then for Perry to be anything other than a white male.

Exactly. In the '40s and '50s. Times change. What was the only choice, the 'politically correct' choice (considering the politics of the time) was for the character to be a white male. In 2011 (or 2013) those considerations need no longer apply.

[JarodRussell]

One could argue that if the color of Superdude's suit matters, the skin color of the comic characters would matter, too.

Obviously, you can't make Superman a woman, but perhaps, in ten years, Superman's suit will be be black with armor like Nolan-Batman's, and his love interest will be Louis Lane.

[davejames]

JacksonArcher wrote:

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The future of the Superman franchise, as well as the future of DC Comics superheroes on the big screen in general, hinders on the success or failure of Man of Steel. Especially after Green Lantern tanked. That film has a lot more pressure now than it ever did (which is a lot, especially with people wondering if Superman can work as a contemporary character in the wake of the underpeformance of Superman Returns).

I don't think we can really judge too much from the performance of SR. Even as a fan of the movie, I have to admit the marketing and trailers were awfully lackluster and uninspiring. I can easily see how the general public would have been turned off from the start-- whether they had any interest in the character or not.

If Snyder can put together a slick, badass, action-packed Superman trailer (which I have no doubt he'll be able to do), I'm sure it will get people's attention in a way SR never did, and get them just as excited about this character as they were about Iron Man or Thor.

It just comes down to making something that actually looks cool and exciting-- something the Marvel movies always manage to do, and SR and GL had serious trouble with.

[StarTrek1701]

JacksonArcher wrote:

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The future of the Superman franchise, as well as the future of DC Comics superheroes on the big screen in general, hinders on the success or failure of Man of Steel. Especially after Green Lantern tanked.

It seems they haven't learned from that mistake and is repeating history with Man of Steel.

[Warped9]

StarTrek1701 wrote:

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It seems they haven't learned from that mistake and is repeating history with Man of Steel.

From what little we've seen I think it's far too soon to make that judgment.

[JacksonArcher]

davejames wrote:

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If Snyder can put together a slick, badass, action-packed Superman trailer (which I have no doubt he'll be able to do), I'm sure it will get people's attention in a way SR never did, and get them just as excited about this character as they were about Iron Man or Thor.

I doubt Snyder is going to have any sway in the marketing for Man of Steel. Warner Bros.' marketing department controls the advertising of their films. According to cinematographer Wally Pfister, the director or production crew have little input on the construction of trailers, posters, etc. All the input people like Pfister have is color timing the trailer.

The marketing campaign for Superman Returns was fairly decent if memory serves me correctly. The teaser trailer was poorly received because a much better trailer, that was edited by the film's co-writer, premiered at San Diego Comic-Con just a month or so before. Footage and descriptions had leaked, so people were expecting a much more exciting teaser than the one that was officially released.

However, I think the film's best trailer, the international one, didn't even make it toward mainstream American audiences which was a shame. The theatrical trailer for the film was actually strong, and portrayed a more adventurous and exciting film than the one we received, which was far more meditative and thoughtful. I think a part of the reason why Superman Returns wasn't such a huge hit is largely because it opened against Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Superman Returns received great reviews, and had a solid opening (and ended up earning over $200 million domestic, which is fairly strong). It just didn't make the kind of money Warner Bros. was hoping for, and fans didn't like the film, which didn't bode well for a sequel. A lot of people wonder why Superman Returns didn't get a sequel but Batman Begins did, and besides the difference in budget costs (Returns was budgeted around $185 million; Begins was budgeted at $150 million) the fan reaction to Batman Begins was much more favorable than the reception Superman Returns received. I think that played a somewhat significant factor.

It just comes down to making something that actually looks cool and exciting-- something the Marvel movies always manage to do, and SR and GL had serious trouble with.

I don't know about that. Like I mentioned before, the theatrical trailers for both Superman Returns and Green Lantern were fairly exciting. Interestingly enough, both films had similar openings at the box office. However, the steep decline for Green Lantern was because audiences clearly didn't connect with the film. The under-performance for Superman Returns was probably due to some audiences favoring the much more action-oriented Pirates sequel that was in theaters at the same time, and had more of a contemporary resonance (i.e. Johnny Depp).

[Nowhere Man]

Misfit Toy wrote:

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Not in this movie, and not when the character was conceived. He was a voice on the radio. Was he black? Was he white? Was he hispanic? Asian?

From a certain point of view, the comics made the 'politically correct' decision of making the character white when they brought him in from the radio show. According to the politics of the time, of course. Things change.

Maybe he wasen't established as a white guy in the radio show, but it has been established that way ever since. What's the point in establishing characters if your not going to stand by what has been established. Imean hell, lets just make Superman an asian midget and Lois a tranny named Louis. Lets make Jim Kirk Jane Kirk and have Scotty be a bloody Brit.

Yeah things change over time and I agree it's time to move on past the Doinnerverse, but they should be only minor details. ie. The Daily Planet having online content with blogs or bieng a cable news network or some cobination of paper and tv.

At this point i'm judging the movie and saying it is going to suck, I was just making a complaint. I have not had any complaints until now and really it's more of a concern.

In fact, the more I argue/defend my position, the less I start to care about these changes. The costume is less than what I had hoped for, but I do like the shield and the darker blue.

I think that's all I want to say about it, I think Admiral Young is right in his statements and I hope soon we get a better look at that costume. Moving on.